Dry Etching with

Photoresist Masks
Revised: 2010-01-27
Source: www.microchemicals.eu/technical_information

Basics of Dry Etching

Basic Dry Etch Mechanism
If the ‘chemical’ mechanism dominates, etching occurs via the strong material selective for-
mation of volatile compounds by radicals in the plasma which – towards high plasma pres-
sure – hit the surface more and more isotropically.
With the ‘physical’ mechanism dominating, etching occurs via the weak material selective
sputtering of the substrate by ions which – accelerated by an electrical field – hit the sur-
face with high kinetic energy and – if the free mean path (chamber pressure) is low enough
– highly anisotropically.
Plasma Reactive ion Reactive ion beam Sputter
etching etching (RIE) etching (RIBE) etching
Mechanism Chemical Chemical + physical Physical + chemical Physical
Etching by… Radicals Radicals + ions Ions + radicals ions
Anisotropy 0 + ++ +++
Selectivity ++ + 0 0
Pressure ≈ 1 Torr ≈ 0.1 Torr ≈ 0.1 Torr ≈ 0.01 Torr

What Happens in the Plasma

Typical etch gases for SiO2-etching are mixtures of CxFyHz, e. g. CF4
(1) Formation of Fluoric-radicals by impact ionization: e- + CF4 CF3 + F + e-
(2) Formation of volatile silicon compounds: SiO2 + 4F SiF4 + O2
Typical etch gases for Si-etching are mixtures of CxFyClz, e. g. CF4
(1) Formation of Fluoric-radicals by impact ionization: e- + CF4 CF3 + F + e-
(2) Formation of volatile silicon compounds: Si + 4F SiF4
Adjusting the Desired Etch Ratio Si : SiO2
Addition of O2: CF3 + O COF2 + F increases F-concentration and etch rate.
Maximizes Si etch rate for approx. 12% O2 in CF4, SiO2 etch rate for 20% O2 in CF4, the
etch ratio SiO2:Si drops. Resist erosion increases with O2 (combustion).

500 15 4.5 180

etch rate ratio SiO 2 : Si, resist

4.0 160
etch ratio Si : SiO 2, resist
Å/min)

450 12
etch rate Si (Å/min)

3.5 140
3.0 120
400 9
3

2.5 100
Si etch rate (10

350 6 2.0 80
SiO2:Si 1.5 Si:SiO2 60
300 3 1.0 40
SiO2:resist 0.5 20
Si:resist
250 0 0.0 0
0 5 10 15 20 0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30
H2-concentration (% sccm) plasma pressure (Torr)
These plots show how dry etching parameters impact the Si and SiO2 etch rate.

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 MicroChemicals GmbH - Dry Etching with Photoresist Masks

Addition of H2: H + F HF reduces F-concentration and etch rate.

Reduces the Si etch rate more than the SiO2 etch rate (fig. below)
Addition of H2: CF4 + H + Si CHxFy causes polymer formation on Si.
Preferentially takes place on Si surfaces thus stopping Si etching

Attaining Steep Resist Sidewalls

Suited Photoresists
While resists designed for wet etching predominantly show an optimized adhesion, resists
for dry etching such as the AZ® 6600 series, or the AZ® 701 MiR are better suited for attain-
ing steep resist sidewalls.
For resists films thicknesses exceeding 5 µm, the AZ® 9260 with its superior aspect ratio is
a good option.
Optimized Softbake Parameters
An adjusted softbake temperature and time are important to attain the maximum contrast
(high development rate, low dark erosion) of a given positive resist as a basic requirement
for steep sidewalls. If the softbake is performed to short or/and too cool, the high remaining
solvent concentration in the resist film causes a high dark erosion rate. If the softbake has
been applied too long or/and too hot, a significant amount of the photo active compound
will be thermally decomposed which lowers the development rate.
We recommend a softbake at 100°C for 1 minute per µm resist film thickness on a hotplate.
Detailed information on softbaking can be found in the document Softbake of Photoresists.
Sufficient Rehydration
DNQ-based resists (= almost all AZ® positive resists) require a certain water content during
exposure in order to subsequently attain a high development rate. A high development rate
keeps the total dark erosion low and therefore is a requirement for steep sidewalls.
After the softbake, the resist film is almost water-free and requires the absorption of water
from the air. Thus, a resist film thickness dependant delay at a certain air humidity (rehy-
dration) between baking steps and exposure is required for positive resists with the demand
of steep sidewalls. Please consult the document Rehydration of Photoresists for more details
on this topic.
Contact Exposure
A gap between photomask and resist surface extends the diffraction pattern and therefore
makes it impossible to attain steep sidewalls. Possible (unintended) reasons for a gap are:
Particles in the resist caused by either insufficient cleanroom conditions, contaminated
substrates, or expired photoresist,
bubbles in the resist film caused during dispensing, or an insufficient delay time after re-
filling/diluting/moving the resist,
mask contamination by particles, or resist from previous exposure steps,
rough, textured, or curved (strained) substrates,
an edge bead, or a mask attached upside-down ☺.
Optimized Exposure dose
An optimized exposure dose is another requirement for attaining the maximum aspect ratio
of a given resist: If the exposure dose is too low, the development time increases which in-
creases the total dark erosion. Too high exposure doses cause an undesired exposure by
scattering, diffraction, and reflection of the part of the resist which should not be exposed,
making it soluble in the developer.
The optimum exposure dose can be determined with an exposure series which is very rec-
ommended for all new or changed processes: At a certain dose Dopt, the development rate
starts to saturate and will not further increase towards higher exposure doses. For most
processes, the optimum exposure dose is close to Dopt. The document Exposure of Photore-
sists gives more information on this topic as well as recommended exposure doses for vari-
ous resists.

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 MicroChemicals GmbH - Dry Etching with Photoresist Masks

High Developer Selectivity

Steep sidewalls require a developer allowing a high development rate of the exposed resist,
and a minimized dark erosion of the unexposed resist.
In the case of positive resists, the dark erosion grows faster with the developer concentra-
tion than the development rate. Therefore, a proper dilution is required for a high selectivity
(= development rate : dark erosion ratio). For high-resolution photoresist processes, it can
be beneficial to apply a higher developer dilution than usual: An AZ® 400K : H2O or AZ®
351B : H2O dilution ratio of 1 : 5 ... 1 : 6 (instead of typically 1 : 4), or a moderate dilution
(2 : 1 ... 1 : 1) of MIF developers such as AZ® 326 or 726 MIF which are usually applied un-
diluted.
Developers with an intrinsic high dark erosion should not be used: The AZ® 826 MIF, the
AZ® Developer, and the AZ® 303 have a lower selectivity than the developers AZ® 400K,
AZ® 351B or AZ® 326/726 MIF.
The document Resists, Developers, and Removers explains which developers are recom-
mended for certain resists.

Thermal Stability
During dry etching, elevated temperatures beyond the softening point of the resist will
rounden the resist structures hereby deteriorating the steep sidewalls attained before. In
order to maintain steep sidewalls during dry etching, we recommend the following tech-
niques:
Using Resists with Elevated Thermal Stability
Non-crosslinking positive resists start softening from approx. 110°C on (holds for e. g. the
AZ® 1500, 4500, 9200, or ECI 3000 series), or, respectively, from approx. 130°C on (e. g.
the AZ® 6600 series the AZ® 701 MiR, and the AZ® 5214E) also depending on the process
parameters such as the softbake conditions. Hereby the upper resist edges rounden, while
the contact points of resist and substrate do not move (compare image series below).
Crosslinking negative resists such as the AZ® nLOF 2000 series, or the AZ® 15 / 125 nXT do
not soften at any temperatures. The document Reflow of Photoresists gives further details
on this topic.

Cross-section of AZ® ECI 3000 resist structures suffering from an increasing temperature. Source: AZ-
EM® AZ® ECI 3000 Product Data Sheet
Heat development during dry etching close to or beyond the softening point of the resist
used causes rounding of the resist profile which becomes transferred into the substrate.
Possible work-arounds for lowering the temperature of the resist mask are:
An optimized heat coupling of the substrate to its holder (e. g. some turbo pump oil for
proper heat transfer from strained, curved substrates),
a sufficiently high heat buffer (massive substrate holder construction) or
heat removal (e. g. black anodized aluminium as rear infrared radiator) from the sub-
strate holder, and
a reduced etch rate and/or multistage etching with cooling interval(s) in between.

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 MicroChemicals GmbH - Dry Etching with Photoresist Masks

300 nm lines and spaces with 700 nm lines and spaces 450 nm lines and spaces with
the AZ® 701 MiR @ 0.8 µm with the AZ ® nLOF 2020 @ the AZ® ECI 3012 @ 1.2 µm
2.0 µm
Required Resist Film Thickness and Resolution
High Resolution Photoresists
For very thin (200 nm ... 1 µm) resist films and highest resolution requirements, we recom-
mend the thermally stable AZ® 701 MiR which can easily be diluted with PGMEA to adjust
the resist film thickness. The thermally stable AZ® 6600 series covers the thickness range
from 1 ... 5 µm. If a higher resist film with high aspect ratio is required, the AZ® 9260 is a
good choice, which, however, has a lower softening temperature of approx. 110°C.
Process Conditions for High Resolution
The conditions and for attaining a maximum resolution are generally the same required for
steep sidewalls explained in the section Attaining Steep Resist Sidewalls of this document:
Optimum softbake parameters for a high contrast of the resist,
a sufficient rehydration,
an optimized exposure dose with using contact exposure without proximity gap, and
a developer with high selectivity.
The document High Resolution Photoresist Processing gives further information on this re-
quirement.

Photoresist Removal after Dry Etching

After dry etching, it is often hard or even impossible to remove the resist film. There are
several possible mechanism responsible for this issue:
From temperatures of approx. 150°C on, positive photoresists thermally cross-link
which makes them chemically stable in organic solvents.
Cross-linking also takes place optically activated under deep-UV radiation (wavelengths
< 250 nm) in combination with elevated temperatures which occurs during dry-etching.
Material re-deposited on the resist structures during dry etching will also make it diffi-
cult to remove the resist film.
Possible work-arounds for lowering the temperature of the resist mask are ...
an optimized heat coupling of the substrate to its holder (e. g. some turbo pump oil for
proper heat transfer from strained, curved substrates),
a sufficiently high heat buffer (massive substrate holder construction) or
heat removal (e. g. black anodized aluminium as rear infrared radiator) from the sub-
strate holder, and
a reduced etch rate and/or multistage etching with cooling interval(s) in between.
The document Photoresist Removal gives further information on this requirement.

Interested?
We supply all mentioned resists also in 250 ml, 500 ml, and 1.000 ml units. Please contact
us for further information!

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 MicroChemicals GmbH - Dry Etching with Photoresist Masks

Disclaimer of Warranty
All information, process guides, recipes etc. given in this brochure have been added to the
best of our knowledge. However, we cannot issue any guarantee concerning the accuracy of
the information.
We assume no liability for any hazard for staff and equipment which might stem from the
information given in this brochure.
Generally speaking, it is in the responsibility of every staff member to inform herself/himself
about the processes to be performed in the appropriate (technical) literature, in order to
minimize any risk to man or machine.

The images on pages 3 and 4 of this document stem from the technical data sheets of the manufac-
turer AZ-EM. AZ and the AZ logo are registered trademarks of AZ Electronic Materials (Germany)
GmbH.
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